A ‘V-Part Two’ ReWatch

• Also known as V: The Original Miniseries
• Written and Directed by Kenneth Johnson
• May 2, 1983
• NBC

Episode Cast

Humans

• Mike Donovan-Marc Singer
• Juliet Parrish-Faye Grant
• Caleb Taylor-Jason Bernard
• Elias Taylor-Michael Wright
• Kathleen Maxwell-Penelope Windust
• Robert Maxwell-Michael Durrell
• Robin Maxwell-Blair Tefkin
• Polly Maxwell-Viveka Davis
• Abraham Bernstein-Leonardo Cimino
• Stanley Bernstein-George Morfogen
• Lynn Bernstein-Bonnie Bartlett
• Daniel Bernstein-David Packer
• Ruby Engels-Camila Ashland
• Kristine Walsh-Jenny Sullivan
• Harmony Moore-Diane Cary
• Eleanor Dupres-Neva Patterson
• Tony Wah Chong Leonetti-Evan C. Kim
• Sancho Gomez-Rafael Campos
• Brad-William Russ
• Sean Donovan-Eric Johnston
• Marjorie Donovan-Joanna Kerns
• Josh Brooks-Tommy Petersen

Visitors

• Diana-Jane Badler
• John-Richard Herd
• Steven-Andrew Prine
• Martin-Frank Ashmore
• Willie-Robert Englund
• Brian-Peter Nelson
• Barbara-Jenny Neumann
• Lorraine-Greta Blackburn
• Visitor Captain-Stack Pierce

Reptilian aliens known as the Visitors who have come to Earth begin to assert control over Earth while enacting a sinister agenda.

V: The Original Miniseries was a bright spot in television science-fiction at the time. It understood that TV could tell character driven fantastical stories with something to say. Unlike many modern genre shows and films, it never stopped the action to become a lecture to ensure the audience went away with the intended point. Kenneth Johnson and associates trusted the intelligence of the viewer in an act of faith not seen often today.

This is the part of the story where the friendly face the enemy has been putting on is cracked. Anything they do is performative to provide thin justification to the submissive or gullible that are still in line. There are examples of coercion and bribery by the regime to keep their assorted associates working for them. It is one of many examples how this uses reality in its fiction.

Part Two opens with a small time jump that is long enough for the Visitors to be rounding up opponents or possible resistance in areas seen as antagonistic to them much like the Nazis did and it not to be viewed as too unusual. We see man of action Mike Donovan (Marc Singer), still on the run, looking around his son Sean’s (Eric Johnston) now empty neighborhood for the child. As a kid I never thought about it but now I must consider: was Mike planning on kidnapping Sean and being on the run with him? He looked unaware that the neighborhood had been attacked in the scene.

Rather than Sean, he finds the boy’s friend Josh (Tommy Petersen). What is striking about the boy’s description of events is that it sounds like it was taken almost word for word from any account of a political refugee or WWII account but given a science-fiction spin. The part with his mention of the eyes adds a haunting note while also implying Visitors in some instances are dropping the human guise.

Much here is thinly veiled (or appears to be) on any number of topics still relevant today. The Maxwell Family is still in hiding due to the father’s scientific background since scientists would be the ones most likely to figure out the truth. We saw in Part One Robert (Michael Durrell) understood something was funky. The Maxwell’s are trying to sneak into Mexico in some reverse illegal immigration (from the American view).

There are human moments focusing on grief or quiet bravery. Harmony (Diane Cary) and Willie (Robert Englund) are attending the funeral of Ben Taylor (Richard Lawson) and both are confronted by his enraged father Caleb (Jason Bernard). Or in his final appearance in the miniseries, Abraham Bernstein (Leonardo Cimino) taking the place of the Maxwells in the pool shed in an action that in real life would cost someone their life.

By only the second episode I had become pretty attached to the coupling of Harmony and Willie. They provided a sweet heart to the story. Two people largely uninvolved in the good or the bad of it was going on. One was caught in the mechanizations of his people and the other was just simply trying to survive though from appearances she might have some knowledge of the Resistance.

This is the part of the first miniseries with revelations and consequences. Daniel Bernstein (David Packer) has all the power he wants and uses it thinking he has more than he does. His parents get it after he reports the Maxwells and find themselves living in fear of their own child.

What we view is a very human struggle. It is not just battling alien oppression but the story delt with the personal impact making it something that can connect with viewers. It is about the things the characters need to overcome and the pressure that it puts on them. This is one of many reasons it has stayed within the public consciousness.

Johnston gave some thought to his world by adding necessary nuances here or there. For example, one detail I never thought about for years was a quick description of the Visitor weapons. Like so many alien weapons they are energy-based. They are also field rechargeable with a small crank on the side. That is a bit unique in sci-fi. Phasers in Star Trek or blasters in Star Wars have infinite battery life.

What we see does not show a full-fledged resistance but rather one in its infancy. Bits of info like light sensitivity are desperately grabbed onto as major things. It draws parallels to reality and thinks through actions and events even if it does move a bit too quickly.

Not that it is perfect in all of its thinking. Mike gets captured with his eventual escape initiated by Martin (Frank Ashmore). Since the ship is filled with aliens appearing human, Martin makes sure Mike gets a uniform so he can get on a shuttle. In Part One it was shown that the Visitor eyes were light sensitive, so Martin gives Mike the guidance of always wearing his sunglasses which Mike THEN PROMPTLY IGNORES AND NOBODY PICKS UP ON IT!

To this day I am a bit confused how Juliet Parrish (Faye Grant) became a leader. I liked the character and thought she fit. Maybe that is the point. She never sought the position. Everybody goes to her for guidance and direction. The character stands out for the 80s. She is clearly in charge of what’s going on here. It is not in a superficial way. Resistance members defer to her.

Some of the lesser characters are characters seen mostly in the background or given minimal screentime in Part One move to the forefront here. Others that had some or great prominence barely factor or disappear entirely. John (Richard Herd), who was the face of the Visitors, is completely MIA. I don’t believe he even receives a passing mention. As a major military figure, he should logically get something. Also missing is Eleanor’s (Neva Patterson) husband Arthur Then with the revelation of the tanks being filled with water and not chemicals any meaningful additions he could contribute were gone.

Diana (Jane Badler) and Martin get much more expanded upon while also showing fractures in the Visitor hierarchy. Diana’s ego is on full display mixed with an implication of near competence which explains how she maintains authority. Badler conveys a reptilian evil while Ashmore conveys a similar coldness while navigating interactions with her character.

By now you could call Steven (Andrew Prine) a Goebbels light with Diana and her breeding experiment being a stand in for Mengele. Martin evolves here from the man who joined for loyalty to his people to a man that sees the horrors and understands something must be done. He is afraid to fight and even wants to run adding a level of identifiable humanity pushing him above Willie in my estimation. It also mirrors what occurred in the Third Reich with high-ranking individuals looking to unseat if not outright kill Hitler.

One of the reveals that all assumed would play into further installments is that the Visitors have other enemies out there which clearly blows their implication of Earth being their first contact. From there it gets darker with the viewers getting a look at what has been happening to all the people disappearing. The holding area we get a peak at contains a few familiar faces from Part One as we learn some will become food while others will end up as soldiers fighting the Leader’s enemies. The Visitors have come to not only harvest humanity but all the resources this planet has to offer including water.

One of the weaker action moments (and this has few) is the action climax at the Resistance camp in the mountains. Not the action itself but that a good shot is all it took for Diana to turn and run. Her face got damaged, which is the equivalent of her makeup getting messed, so that was it. No ground forces? Otherwise a good scene.

Much like Part One, some of what we get here could have benefitted from being spread out into another two-hour block. Robin (Blair Tefkin) gets captured to not only twist the arm of her father to act as an informant but to participate in Diana’s breeding experiment. Brian (Peter Nelson) walking into her cell and immediately being able to sleep with her makes Robin look, well, very easy. It needed to happen for the story but happened too quickly. Give a few scenes (or ONE more) so Brian could appear to be a safe and secure person. They were flirtatious before but not an item. The excuse of being a prisoner in stress does to excuse the swiftness.

Her father Robert being worked on needed more depth. It is understandable but moved through quickly much like her seduction. Then there is the disposition of Mike’s friend Tony (Evan C. Kim). It was tragic but more because he was becoming likeable and not that he was a familiar character.

Part of the reason the concept has endured and this miniseries is remembered is what we did get was so very good. A mix of action and character driven drama in an allegorical science-fiction story. Part of you does want more of everything here. This is well acted and excellently directed and as I said before the effects for the time are so very good in comparison to other television.

Some of the ship maneuvers do lack the dynamism of the earlier Buck Rogers or Battlestar Galactica. I’m talking about the battle sequence. Then again, both of those had ships flying in space and there might’ve been just something easier about portraying it there over in the atmosphere. It felt a little stiff though effects still work today.

It never loses its character development or character orientation. It also doesn’t shy away from harsh realities, both real and fictional. Though the Resistance does want to save the people on those ships Juliet Parish rightly knowledges that it may not be possible. They may have to sacrifice their lives for the lives of the rest of humanity. She also points out that the enemy of the Visitors (that are never given a name) may not be their friend either. The only thing we know in this episode about them is that they are against the Visitor leader.

Several moments of dialogue draw strong parallels between the Leader and Hitler. Not just from his actions but to his rise to power. The food storage of humanity is as strong equivalent as could be made with the concentration camps as possible. I may have been a kid who liked an adventure film and my stories wrapped up by the credits, but I understood, at least on some level, the allegories and parallels they were drawing.

Events matter to not only the characters, but to the world of the characters. It’s not a one-off adventure where they go home to their lives by the credits which was a sharp contrast to American television of the time. Traditionally the status quo at the start of the episode was restored by the end of the episode unless it was a very special two-part episode. Not here.

Like Part One, much of Part Two is told in a fashion very similar to a disaster movie. Storylines weave in and out of one another or happen in the same location very near. It’s a technique that allows the story to keep moving without having to re-introduce something or set something up all the time.

Part Two is an excellent climax to the original miniseries. It expands the story and pulls together the assorted narratives with some shocking revelations and excellent acting while leaving you wanting more.